Opening a Cannabis Retail Store

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You will need a development permit, a building permit (if you plan to do any interior or exterior construction to your retail space), and a business licence before an Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) Commission retail cannabis store licence will be issued to you. The City of Edmonton will begin accepting additional development permit applications for cannabis retail sales by email on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday August 28, 2018 at 8am.

How to Submit Your Application

The amendments to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to permit cannabis retail sales were approved by City of Edmonton Council on June 12, 2018. The amendments added Cannabis Retail Sales as a permitted use to 13 zones and added separation distances for cannabis stores, along with other regulations, to Section 70 of the Zoning Bylaw.

Refer to Zoning Bylaw 12800 to check which zones allow cannabis stores and to review the applicable regulations.

You can review a property’s zoning through maps.edmonton.ca. If you are interested in rezoning a property to permit cannabis retail use, please visit the City of Edmonton’s Rezoning webpage for more information about the process, timelines, and application requirements.

Permanent Sign Requirements

Edmonton Fire Rescue Service is providing this Cannabis Guidelines to applicants interested in opening a Cannabis Retail Store, Cannabis Cultivation Facility, or Cannabis Processing Facility to help them understand Alberta Fire Code requirements and best practices for these types of businesses.

Applying for a Development Permit

To submit a complete development permit application package for cannabis retail sales, send it by email to cannabisdevelopmentpermit@edmonton.ca with the subject line “cannabis retail sales development permit application - <insert cannabis retail store’s address>”. Other requirements for submission include:

Only one development permit application can be submitted per email. Multiple applications in one email will not be accepted.

Your application package should be attached to the email in PDF format only. It can be one file or multiple files.

Your order in the review process will only be determined once your application has been deemed complete by the development officer, in accordance with the Zoning Bylaw. If your application is incomplete, it will not be considered in any order for review until the missing information is provided.

If your proposed location is approved for cannabis retail sales through a rezoning application, your development permit application will only be accepted starting the day after Council approves the rezoning.

The City of Edmonton assumes no responsibility or liability for email transmission failure or any other technical issue.

Cancellation and/or Refund Requests

No refunds will be granted for development permit applications if technical review has commenced or if a decision has been made. Where the technical review has not commenced, $108, or 20% of the development permit fee, whichever is greater, will be retained for administration costs.

No refunds will be granted if the applicant requests the City of Edmonton to deem the development permit application a refusal.

Refunds for Building Permits will only be considered if this is applied for within 90 days of the permit being issued and if no construction has occurred. A sum of $108, or 20% of the permit fee, whichever is greater, will be retained for administration costs.

Business Licence application fees are non-refundable.

After Your Development Permit is Issued

If you are issued a development permit for your cannabis retail store, you will have nine (9) months from the date of approval to establish or begin operation, in accordance with Section 70 of the Zoning Bylaw. Development Compliance staff will also educate, investigate and when necessary, enforce on any other cannabis retail sales regulations of the Zoning Bylaw. Inquiries or complaints can be directed to the team through 311 or developmentcompliance@edmonton.ca.

City of Edmonton Business Licence Conditions for Cannabis Retail Sales

If you are issued a City of Edmonton cannabis retail sales business licence, you must follow these conditions:

Hours of operation can only be between 10am and 11pm, Monday through Sunday

The business operator must demand proof of age from anyone who appears to be under 40 years of age.

The business operator must prevent minors (any person under the age of 18) from entering the business premises and/or from purchasing cannabis.

Business operators cannot sell or display cannabis until they have obtained an AGLC retail cannabis store licence.

Business operators cannot sell or display cannabis until federal law has legalized recreational consumption and sale of cannabis.

If federal or provincial approval for a cannabis-related business is cancelled or expires, the business licence is deemed to be immediately cancelled without prior notice to the business operator.

If a business operator’s provincial or federal approval for a cannabis-related business is suspended at any time during the term of a business licence, then the business licence is immediately suspended without notice or right of appeal and remains suspended until the suspension is lifted by the provincial or federal government.